Melting Fire
by Small-Fri
Summary: this is set after X3. Pyro is rescued from Alcatraz by an old friend from Mutant High. Now they set out from San Francisco to New York on a crazy action filled road trip. PyroOC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The battle raged around her. Mutants of the Brotherhood and soldiers carrying the cure disintegrated before her eyes. It was complete chaos. Everyone was running from Phoenix. Evangeline 'Evan' Krause ran towards the Golden Gate Bridge, dodging the bits of debris that had fallen as Alcatraz was destroyed. She looked over her shoulder to see if she was being pursued by a soldier with the cure, but there was no one. Not seeing what lay in front of her, she tripped and hit the ground with such force that the breath was knocked out of her. She looked at what she tripped over and saw that it was an unconscious mutant. His hands were covered in ice and there was large bruise and a gash over his right eye. This was also covered in a layer of ice. Evan knew immediately that the damage done to the mutant was done by Bobby Drake, another one of the X-Men and her classmate. The mutant who fell victim to Bobby's power was none other than John Allerdyce, or Pyro as he preferred to be called. At one time, he was a good friend of Evan's.

"God, John, what did you get yourself into?" Evan asked his unconscious form. She grabbed his arms and started pulling him towards the bridge. She was having trouble and was being slowed down. Everybody passed her, not giving her a second glance. Evan stopped to get her breath back and leaned against a dented car.

"I need to get out of here fast," she said to herself. Evan looked around trying to find something that will help her go faster. It was then that she realized she was leaning on a car. She put her hand on the car and watched it glow bright red as it heated up and removed the dents and scrapes in the car. It then cooled down to the normal black color that it was. She pulled Pyro over to the passenger side and managed to put him in the front seat. She ran to the driver's side and hopped in. the only problem was that she had no keys.

"Shit!" she screamed. Evan started digging through the back seat, the glove compartment, and the boxes under the seats trying to find something metal. Finally she found a small pocketknife in the box under her seat. She held it in her and watched as it melted. Evan dropped her hand and the metal floated for a minute before it started to pour itself into the ignition. It then cooled and made a perfect replica of the key. She turned it in the ignition, put it in drive and hit the gas. Soon, she was off leaving the remains of Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and her fellow X-Men behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.: I know that the first chapter was super short but they gradually get longer. **

**Disclaimer (which I forgot in the first chapter): I don't own Pyro or other Marvel characters. I only own Evan and others that you don't know. **

Chapter 2

Evan pulled over to the side of the road. Pyro was still unconscious in the passenger seat, his hands and head wound were still covered in ice, the gas tank was on its way to becoming empty, and they weren't even out of California yet. Evan thought long and hard about where to get money, clothing, food, and a place to stay, without stealing or trespassing. Nothing came to her for a while, but then she remembered. She put the car in drive and continued on her way.

Evan arrived at the house in a little less than an hour and a half. She pulled into the driveway, turned off the car, unbuckled her seatbelt, and turned towards Pyro.

"John," she said, shaking him slightly. He didn't respond. "Pyro, wake up." He didn't move. She got out of the car, went over to the passenger side, and pulled him out of the car. Evan dragged him up the steps and set him on the chair on the porch as she rang the doorbell. No one answered so she rang the bell again. Finally she heard noise from inside the house and the door opened to reveal a young woman. The woman had blondish hair, blue eyes, and stood at about 5'8". She was a few years older than Evan.

"Hey Ayden," Evan said. Ayden stood there with her eyes wide and her mouth open.

"Aren't you gonna say 'hi'?" Evan asked.

"Why are you here?" Ayden asked cautiously.

"Can't I say hi to my friend?"

"We aren't friends anymore, so why are you here, mutant?" the last word was said with loathing.

"I need some help. A friend and I got into a bit of trouble and we need a place to stay for a few days. Consider this payment of a debt."

"What debt is that?"

"You owe me for covering you ass when you vandalized the gym at school and I got caught."

Ayden was glaring daggers at Evan but stepped aside to let her in. Evan leaned down and hauled John out of the chair and inside.

"Can you help me out here? He's kind of heavy," Evan asked as she passed her former friend. Ayden put one arm around John's waist and lifted his arm over her shoulder and helped Evan carry him to the guest room. Once they managed to get him on the bed, Ayden got a good look at his face.

"He's that mutant! The one who blew up the cure building! What the hell do you think you're doing bringing him here? He's a criminal! If you get caught, I get arrested for housing a fugitive!" She started to yell.

"Ayden, trust me, you won't get arrested," Evan replied calmly.

"Why should I trust the word of a mutant?"

"Because this mutant has known you since the third grade and has never once lied to you! This mutant saved you from getting expelled from high school and ended up having to reveal her power. This mutant sacrificed everything to be your friend and then got dumped!" Evan was yelling too by the time she finished. Ayden didn't say a word, but instead, she left the room.

Evan went into the hallway to the linen closet and pulled out a wash cloth. She then went to the bathroom, wet it with hot water and went back into the bedroom. She sat on the bed and leaned Pyro's head on her knees. Evan took the cloth and began dabbing the wound trying to melt the ice that covered it. So far, it wasn't working very well. She placed Pyro's head back on the pillow and went out to the kitchen. Ayden sat at the kitchen table clutching a cup of coffee in her hands completely ignoring Evan as she searched through the kitchen drawers.

"Ayden, can you show me where the silverware is?" Evan asked. Ayden pointed to one of the drawers that had not yet been searched.

"Thank you," Evan said as she pulled out a knife. She went back to the room and turned the heat on the thermostat up. She placed Pyro's head against her knees again. Evan concentrated on the knife and dropped her hand, the knife floated in mid-air and then melted into a red hot liquid. She levitated the liquid about half an inch away from the ice. Finally the ice started to melt.

Once the ice was completely melted, Evan returned the knife back to its original shape and cooled it. She walked out to the kitchen, placed it in the sink and turned towards Ayden who was still sitting at the table.

"Ayden, do you have a needle and thread? John has a big gash on his forehead and it needs stitches." Evan said.

"Who's John?" she asked.

"The guy I brought with me."

"Oh." Ayden got up and went to the bureau in the guest bedroom and pulled out a small sewing kit which she handed to Evan.

"Okay, thanks, but I'm going to need you to hold him down. I don't know how bad this is going to hurt and I don't want him moving around if he wakes up while I'm in the middle of stitching," Evan said. Ayden flinched at the thought of John waking up in the middle of getting stitches, but she nodded.

"Okay, I'll help." She said.

"Thank you."

Evan used her knees to hold Pyro's shoulders down while Ayden sat on his legs and held his hands at his side. The fact that his hands were covered in ice did not go unnoticed. Evan heated up the needle to sterilize it and then inserted it into Pyro's skin. He didn't wake but only flinched slightly. Evan continued stitching.

When she was done stitching, she cleaned the needle and sterilized it again before putting back in the sewing kit.

"Thank you," She said to Ayden again.

"How long are you going to be staying?" Ayden asked.

"I'll need three days. That's it."

"Okay."

"Look, I'm sorry I have been a complete inconvenience, and I know I shouldn't ask you this, but I was wondering if I could borrow some money for new clothes."

"No, you don't have to borrow any money. You and I are about the same size, and I think I have some clothes that my ex left. Those might fit John." She replied.

"Thank you very much. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble."

"I was glad to do it. You were my friend. I just didn't know how much trouble would come of it."

"Apparently it was a shit load."

Evan laughed, "Yeah. Can we be friends again?"

"As long as you don't use your powers in front of me or on me."

"Okay. I can do that."

x chap 2


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is the third chapter. It's shorter but oh well. Thanks to dark pen holder who posted the first review. The fourth chapter will take a little longer as I am having a problem with writers block.**

**Enjoy!!!**

Chapter 3

Evan walked out of the kitchen and into the guestroom. She brought with her the knife and once again used it melt the ice that was on his hands. Once his hands were fully functional and not frozen, she took off the igniter on his wrist. She didn't want him burning the house down. She took it with her to the kitchen and gave it to Ayden.

"Whatever you do with this, do not give it to him," Evan warned, "He will burn the house down. John has been out for about 6 hours and I don't think he'll be waking up anytime soon, but if he does, scream, run, break this thing, but do not give it to him."

Ayden nodded as she took the igniter and held it protectively against her chest.

"Is it alright if I use your shower?" Evan asked.

"Yeah that's fine. It's down the hall to the right." Ayden responded. Evan grabbed a towel from the linen closet and went into the bathroom. She peeled out of the leather X-Men uniform. It was comfortable during the battles but once the adrenaline wears off, you begin to feel the stiffness of the suit and how sticky it is when you sweat. She stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water. For a good fifteen minutes Evan stood there and worked the kinks out of her body before she washed her hair. Once out of the shower, she dried off, wrapped the towel around her, and went to Ayden's room where she found her friend reading a book.

"Hey, Ayden, can I borrow those clothes now?" she asked.

"Yeah sure." Ayden went to her closet and pulled out a long sleeved grey shirt and a pair of jeans which she handed to Evan. "Hold on a minute and let me get the clothes for John." She went to her drawers and pulled out another pair of jeans, a long sleeved, navy blue shirt and a black jacket. She also handed Evan a blue baseball hat.

"It's for if he needs to hide his face." Ayden said.

"Thank you." Evan replied, "Your boyfriend left all of this here?"

"No, I kicked him out once I found out he cheated on me and told him I burned all his stuff. I was actually going to give it to Goodwill."

"Why not burn them?"

"He wasn't worth the matches."

Evan laughed as she walked out of Ayden's room and entered the guestroom. She set Pyro's clothes on the bed and went into the bathroom to change into her clothes. When she came out of the bathroom she went back into the guestroom where she sat in the big, comfy, leather chair in the corner. She shifted her position so her head was resting on one arm and her legs were dangling over the other. She kept her eye on Pyro, but fighting a big battle, driving for 5 hours, arguing with a friend, and giving somebody stitches can make a person very tired, and watching an unconscious person is very boring. Soon Evan had drifted off to sleep.

When Evan awoke, it was night. She got up out of the chair and looked towards the bed. Pyro was still unconscious. She headed towards the living room to find Ayden watching TV.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"It's 8:30. You've been out for a little less than twelve hours. What were you doing to make you that tired?" Ayden asked.

"Have you seen the news?"

"You mean the report on Alcatraz?"

"Uh-huh."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"That's what I was doing."

"You were trying to destroy Alcatraz?!"

"No, I was trying to stop Magneto, John, and their little army from demolishing it. My job was semi-successful."

"How?"

"Saved the good guys, but lost the building. If I hadn't tripped over him sooner, John might not be here."

Ayden didn't say anything. She wasn't sure if John's presence was a good or bad thing, so she dropped the subject.

"If he doesn't wake up by this time tomorrow, I'll have to take him to a hospital," Evan said.

"Why?"

"Because he would have been unconscious for two days. My friend Bobby hit him really hard. For all I know, he could have had a concussion that has led to a coma."

"Well it'll be good if you take him to the hospital. The doctors will fix it."

"Yeah, but when he gets better, they'll give him the cure and put him in prison."

"And that's bad?"

"Yes. He wouldn't be given a fair trial because he would be a former mutant who worked under a known mutant terrorist. The jury wouldn't listen to him or anyone who would vouch for him."

"Evan, he'll be alright. There will be no need for going to a hospital and no one is going to prison. He'll have a wicked headache when he wakes up though."

"I'm going to go keep an eye on him. Do you have any books I could read so I don't get bored?"

"Yeah, I have the Lord of the Rings trilogy, plus the Hobbit, and the Silmarillion. I have Harry Potter, C.S. Lewis, Eragon, Eldest, and some by Brian Jacques. Take your pick."

Evan grabbed the first book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and sat down again in the big chair. She may have liked books but she was a slow reader and was only halfway done by the time the sun rose which was at 6:30. Just as she set down the book, her stomach let out the incredibly loud growl. It was then that she realized she hadn't eaten in about two days. She went to the kitchen and opened the fridge to find a box of cold pepperoni pizza, two boxes of Chinese takeout, some chocolate syrup, and some strawberries. Evan pulled out the takeout along with the strawberries and syrup. She ate both boxes of takeout and half of the delicious strawberries with the chocolate syrup. She also drank two glasses of milk. Once she had finished the wonderful meal that was her breakfast, she looked at the clock. It was 7:30. She was going to head back to check on John when she suddenly heard a noise from the room. Cautiously, she pushed open the door to find Pyro, awake and sitting up.

x chap 3


	4. Chapter 4

**Hiya, I managed to overcome my writers block for now, but the end of this chapter isn't exactly great. So sorry.**

**But Enjoy!!!**

Chapter 4

Pyro swung his legs over the edge of the bed. So far he had been completely unaware of Evan's presence. He looked around the room.

"Hey John," Evan said. Pyro turned around and looked at Evan once before immediately trying to burn her, but he couldn't. Evan laughed.

"You know, you look funny when you do that weird hand movement and there's no flame," she said.

"Where am I?" he asked. His voice was hoarse from lack of use.

"Some dinky town in California, but you're safe and that's what matters."

"Who are you?"

"Take a good look."

Pyro looked at her for a few seconds. Evan noticed his eyes widen slightly and he exhaled sharply.

"Well, you're the last person I ever expected to see, Evangeline." He said.

"Call me Evan or I start calling you St. John. Understood?"

John glared, but nodded.

"Are you hungry?" she asked

As if on cue, Pyro's stomach growled. Evan smiled.

"Come on, I'll show you the kitchen," she said as she walked out of the room. Pyro tried to stand but he found even this simple task extremely difficult. Evan walked back into the room.

"Come on!" she said, but then she noticed he was having trouble so she went to help, but he shook her off.

"John, I know my helping you hurts your pride, but you've been unconscious for about thirty hours, you most likely have a headache from being hit on the head, I don't know when you last ate, you're slightly dehydrated, and I'm pretty sure that the next step you're going take is going to result in a total face plant on the carpet which will damage your dignity more than being helped by a girl, so which are you gonna pick?" she asked, somewhat annoyed.

John glared at her and decided to not take her help. He took the next step and immediately lost his balance. Evan moved quickly and caught him before he toppled over. A stream of curses left John's mouth as Evan helped him. She ignored the curses, pulled his arm over her shoulders and snaked her arm around his waist. It was slow going but the two finally made it to the kitchen.

Once John was sitting at the table, Evan went to the bathroom and got a bottle of aspirin. She filled a glass with water and handed it to John along with the entire bottle of aspirin.

"I didn't know how many you'd need," she said. John took the bottle and dumped four aspirin in to his hand. He swallowed these with a huge gulp of water. Evan went over to the fridge and started looking for something for John to eat other than cold pizza. There wasn't much else besides the pizza and strawberries so Evan took the fruit and set it on the table.

"Do you have anything against eating cold pizza?" she asked. John didn't say anything but only shook his head. Evan took the pizza out of the fridge and set it on the table next to the strawberries. John looked at it suspiciously. This did not go unnoticed.

"John, it's food. Normal food. See? Look," Evan said. She took a strawberry and a pepperoni off the pizza and ate them. Immediately her face contorted into a look of complete disgust. She shuddered and took the glass of water that was still on the table and chugged it down.

"Okay, no eating strawberries and pepperoni at the same time," she said to herself. John smirked, but noticed that Evan wasn't dying or anything so he ate the food.

"Where's my igniter?" he asked between bites.

"Safe." Evan replied as she sat down and turned on the TV.

Suddenly a scream was heard from somewhere behind John. The two mutants jumped and turned around to see Ayden staring wide eyed at John.

"Ayden, it's okay. He won't hurt you," Evan said.

"How do you know?" Ayden asked.

"Because he doesn't have the igniter. Without it he can't control fire. Besides, if he does hurt you, I'll kick his ass."

"Like you could," Pyro interrupted.

"I _so_ could. Even with your stupid little igniter."

"Prove it."

"Not now. I promised that I wouldn't be using powers in this house or near it so I'll prove it to you later."

Pyro scowled and went back to eating.

"So Ayden, what are we doing today?"

"Well you guys do whatever you want, but I have some summer classes at the community college, so I'll be gone all day. Sorry."

"That's okay. John and I'll stay and keep each other company," she flashed a big smile at John who in turn, scowled again and flicked her off.

"Okay, I just really need to go now. I'll see ya later." Ayden gathered her books and went out to her car. As soon as she was gone, Pyro got up and pinned Evan to the couch. His hand squeezed her throat.

"Where is my igniter?" he asked. His voice was low and dangerous.

"Find it yourself. It won't help though, the igniter is metal, and I will melt it before you could blink," She said, "so I suggest you go back to eating your food and let's pretend this never happened."

Pyro tightened his grip on her throat momentarily before letting go. He sat on the far end of the couch, grabbed the remote and turned on the news. Evan watched him from the other side of the couch. Pyro noticed that he was being watched and Evan's unwavering gaze was become really annoying, really fast.

"Is there a reason that your staring at me like you're about to eat me?" he asked.

"I'm looking at your hair," Evan replied.

"What about it?"

"It's blond."

"So?"

"You were always dumb when you had brown hair. Turning into a blond made you dumber."

"And you're still a stone cold bitch that doesn't know when to shut up."

"Yes, but be aware: I may be a stone cold bitch, but I saved your ass so you owe me."

"I don't owe you jack-shit. I didn't need your help and I could've gotten away by myself."

"Oh really? And how did you plan on moving? Sleep walking? You would have been ashes or cured if I hadn't found you."

"Screw this, and screw you! I'm gone!" John got up and began to walk to the front door but was stopped when Evan started to speak again.

"Fine, but if you walk out that door, you will be signing your own death wish. There will be feds out there that will cure you before you could even snap your fingers and you better hope that they get to you before the families of the people you killed do. All those people will come after you and kill you and you won't be able to do a thing without your precious little igniter. All you could do is pray for mercy." She paused, and then continued, "There are no safe places in the world for you anymore. Magneto's cured and the Brotherhood is dead."

Her words hit John like a ton of bricks. If Magneto really was cured, then she was right. He had no place to go. He was alone. Again. Not knowing what to do, he simply turned around and sat back down on the couch. Evan came over and sat on the couch next to him. She shifted so that she faced him and began to inspect the needle work on the gash on John's forehead. He flinched away.

"Oh, don't be such a baby. I need to make sure that your stitches aren't infected."

John reached up and lightly fingered the gash and the thread which he didn't notice before. He looked at Evan incredulously.

"You gave me stitches?"

"My dad was a doctor. Now hold still." She looked over the stitches for a minute then backed away. "You're good to go. The wound isn't infected. There are some clean clothes for you in the guest room. You can change into those."

John merely nodded.

"We leave tomorrow. I would suggest you shower before then because it's going to be a long, hot, boring drive back to New York and I don't have the money to spend every night in a hotel. Some days might be spent entirely in my car. Not to mention that those you're wearing clothes are really dirty and you don't exactly smell like lavender."

John glared at her but his expression changed to one of skepticism.

"Your car?" he asked.

"Yes my car. I'm sure that whoever owned the car before is already in the process of buying a new one therefore I claim ownership over the nice black Nissan Murano in the driveway. It helped us haul ass away from Alcatraz."

"Why are we going back to New York?"

"I need to get back to school. It starts up again in about two months."

"No! I'm not going back there!" he jumped up from the couch

"Uh huh, and I'm pretty sure no one wants you there, but name another place where you can be safe and I'll drop you off there."

"You said there were no safe places."

"My point exactly. Xavier's isn't exactly safe for you, but it's safer than other places. If I can convince Storm and Logan to let you stay, we'll see how it goes from there."

For the second time in past few minutes, John had no answer, so he turned from where he was standing and marched towards the guestroom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello to all readers. Thank you to those who reviewed and I hope you like this next chapter. Sorry it took so long. I've been neglecting my writing. Anyhoo, hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 5

Evan was packing all the extra stuff she had into the back of her car. It was only her X suit, John's old clothes, and some food Ayden had picked up for her, but it should be enough supplies to last until she could get some more. As she closed the car door, she saw Ayden approach with a small object in her hand.

"I pulled this out of my savings account," She said as she handed Evan an envelope. Evan opened the envelope and found about six hundred dollars inside. She exhaled sharply.

"Ayden, I can't accept this. I already have imposed too much," Evan said.

"Take it. You can use the money to buy food, clothes, gas, and such."

"It's too much—"

"Consider the money a payment for my debt and now you owe me for giving you a place to stay temporarily."

Evan raised an eyebrow as she considered the offer.

"Fine."

Evan took the money, put it in her pocket, and then hugged Ayden tightly.

"I'll call you," Evan said as she moved around to the driver's side. She then turned her attention to John who was leaning on the car.

"Time to go. Get in the car." She said, but John shook his head as he took a step away from the car.

"I told you I wasn't going back."

"John, get in the car." Evan said, exasperated.

"No!" John raised his voice slightly. If he had stomped his foot, he would have been the perfect visual of an overgrown two year old.

Evan reached into her pocket and pulled out John's igniter.

"John," she said, "If you don't get in the car, I will melt your igniter, knock you unconscious and then strap your ass to the top of my car like a deer." John didn't move. She closed the space between them in two strides and was now standing on her tip toes to stare John squarely in the eye with a glare that made him cringe inwardly.

"Get. In. The. Car." She commanded. John took a step backward only to be stopped by the car that was now glowing red hot. Had he not been a mutant he would have been seriously burned. He looked down at her hand to see his igniter softening slightly as Evan became angrier.

"Okay, fine!" he said hastily moved from between Evan and the. The car had cooled and returned to its original color just as he opened the door.

"Thank you," Evan said tersely as she slid into the driver's seat. She pulled the key out of her pocket and started the car as she waved goodbye to Ayden. Soon they were on the interstate heading east. As Evan merged with the traffic, she pulled the igniter out of her pocket and dropped it in John's lap.

"You can have it back, but if I sense any trouble from you, it will be gone." She said. John took it and attached it to his wrist. As he tested it to make sure it was still functional, Evan noticed the shark pattern on it. She began to laugh.

"What is so funny?" John asked. Evan slowly began to calm down and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I was just remembering the first time we met. Do you remember?" she asked. John nodded as the memory was brought up…

**Flashback**

_It was Evan's third day at Mutant High and she had already become fast friends with Kitty Pride. The two were hanging around in the living room when they heard a sound._

_Swish._

_Click._

_Snap!_

_The sound repeated itself over and over getting louder and louder. Then _he_ appeared in the doorway with a lighter in his hand. Evan looked at him, and then turned to talk with Kitty some more, but Kitty was giving the guy an icy stare._

"_Hi Kitty," he said with a smirk as he walked past the door to the kitchen._

"_Who was that?" Evan asked._

"_That was St. John Allerdyce. Fire manipulator extraordinaire and the biggest jackass you will ever meet." Kitty replied still staring at the door._

"_What makes him a jackass?"_

"_He is so annoying. He acts like he owns the place, is always flirting with every girl in the mansion and he's a show off. Plus, he won't ever stop messing with that damned lighter!"_

"_If the lighter bothers you so much why don't you faze it out of his hand?"_

_Kitty thought about this for a minute._

"_Huh. I never thought of that. Maybe you could melt it."_

_Suddenly, Evan had this bright idea, and soon the two were whispering rapidly and discussing a plan._

_At noon, the classes broke for lunch. John was the first one out of the class and he began to jog to the cafeteria. He stopped suddenly when Kitty ran through him and charged ahead. What he didn't realize was that Kitty had fazed the lighter out of his pocket._

_Evan and Kitty giggled happily as they played with the lighter, but suddenly a hand landed on Kitty's shoulder. They both looked up into the face of John who looked very, very pissed off._

"_Give me back my lighter." He said._

"_You mean this thing?" Evan asked as she held it in the air, "I don't think so."_

_John lunged at her but Evan was too quick and was out of her seat and out the way in a flash. She held the lighter in her palm and examined it closely, but she never once lit it, therefore leaving John defenseless. She looked up at John and shook her head._

"_This lighter is all wrong? It is completely messed up."_

"_What? It works fine." John said._

"_No, I mean it looks wrong. You are fire manipulator, correct?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Well, you have a shark on your lighter. Sharks are fish. Fish live in water. Water is fire's natural enemy. The lighter needs to be fixed." _

_John watched in horror as the lighter glowed red and began to melt._

"_Stop!" he cried._

"_Or what?" Kitty asked as she stood beside Evan._

"_What do you want?"_

"_I want you to stop flicking the damn thing when you're around me!"_

"_Okay, fine, just stop melting it!" _

_Evan complied and returned it to it's original shape and threw it at John, who caught it deftly. Kitty and Evan returned to their seats as John returned to his. As he sat down he opened the lighter to make sure it worked. Fortunately, it did and John released the breath he'd been holding. Next to him, Bobby Drake, a.k.a Iceman began to laugh hysterically._

"_Shut up!" John said angrily._

**End Flashback**

John had always thought of this as a bad memory, but he couldn't help the smile that showed as Evan began to laugh again.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was late in the evening of the second day when Evan pulled into a parking lot. They had traveled almost non-stop for three days. Evan pulled the car into a long driveway that lead to a blue, two story house with a wrap-around porch just inside Kansas, near the Kansas/Missouri border. Pyro was sleeping with his head leaning against the window. His breath fogged the window slightly and he twitched every now and then.

Evan studies him for a moment. When she looked at him while he was awake, he was always callous and rude, with no care for anyone but himself, but now as she looked at him, he seemed almost normal, as though he had never seen the horrors of the battle at Alcatraz or as though he had never experienced the fear and confusion when Stryker raided the mansion. John squeezed his eyes shut tight, furrowed his brow, and muttered something incoherent as if he were scared, making him seem somewhat child-like to Evan.

_It's kind of adorable, _she thought, as a smiled played on her lips. _One so strong when aware can seem so innocent when asleep. He's kind of cute too. _Evan scrunched up her face in horror as she realized what she was thinking. To get her mind off the thought, she shook John roughly.

"Yo, Sparky, wake up!" she said loudly. John jerked awake and blinked confusedly.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"We're at my friend Annie's house."

"Is she like your other friend?"

"Annie? Nah, she's a mutant. We became good friends when I first found out I was a mutant. She helped me around New York and how to get to the mansion. She and I were kind of like the female version of you and Bobby when you were still friends."

"Let me guess, she was smart, responsible, almost like your conscience was given a body?"

"No, she control's ice and I can melt metal. Our powers are polar opposites, but she is about as reckless as I am. Be careful by the way, she may be as cold as ice, but she has the fieriest temper you will ever see."

Evan climbed out of the car and pulled a duffel bag out of the back seat. She and John had bought some more clothes and supplies with the money so now they had a little less then half left to get them to New York. John pulled out his own bag and walked a few feet behind. They continued their conversation on the way to the door.

"Why didn't she go to the mansion?" John asked.

"She had found her place in the world. She had been adopted unofficially by this couple who were pro-mutant. I never met them but she said it was nice to be with people who never judged her because of what she could do." Evan said as she reached the front door. She knocked twice loudly and called out: "Let me in but do not freeze me!"

From behind the door, a muffle reply came: "Enter, but do not burn me!" The door opened to reveal a tall, slender woman with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. She stared at Evan in shock.

"Well, I'll be damned! I never thought I would see you show up at my doorstep again." Annie said as she stepped forward to hug Evan.

"Yeah."

"So, what brings you to my fine Kentucky home? I thought you were in New York at that school."

"Didn't you hear on the news?"

"About what?"

"Alcatraz. I was with the X-men at Alcatraz. I haven't made it back to the school yet. I was wondering if I could impose on you for the night."

"Oh, of course. You are always welcome into my home." It was at this point that she noticed John standing behind Evan.

"Who's your friend?"

"This is Pyro."

"The bad guy's sidekick?"

"Hey, I wasn't a sidekick!" John growled indignantly.

"Well, you sure as hell weren't leading the whole army were you? As far as I knew, you weren't even second in command. It was that blue chick wasn't it? That's what the news people said."

"She was cured. I became second in command after that."

"Oh, so until that point, you were the sidekick's sidekick?"

"I wasn't a sidekick!"

"Whatever, matchstick." Annie turned back to Evan.

"Come on in, you two can take the spare room."

Evan picked up her bag and walked inside. She was stopped in the living room by John.

"What was with all the 'don't burn me, don't freeze me' crap?" he asked.

"When we first met, it was sudden and we attacked each other by accident. We kept saying 'don't burn me' or 'don't freeze me' so we made it a little password thing so she always knows if I'm the one visiting. It was actually kind of funny. We kept yelling at each other while trying to dodge the attacks."

John didn't know how to reply so he changed the subject.

"Where is the guest room?" he asked. At this point Annie had come into the room.

"It's upstairs on the right, bathroom is the door next to it," she said.

"Thanks." Evan replied.

"No problem, but one request. Please take a shower before you sit or lay down on any of the furniture. You both smell as bad as my horse's stable."

Evan stuck her tongue out at Annie, picked up her bag and went to the guest room. She set her bag on the bed as she pulled out some clean clothes and went into the bathroom. John stayed down stairs in the kitchen with Annie.

"Sit on the wooden chair. I don't think you can mess it up too much, but if you do I can always spray Lysol on it," Annie said pointing to a high-back chair that was in front of the island.

"I'd rather stand," John replied stiffly.

"Oh, please. You look exhausted, like you haven't slept properly in three days."

"I haven't."

"Well then sit down you idiot!"

She pointed at the chair again and John sat down, reluctantly.

"When was the last time you ate actual food?" she asked. The reply was a half-hearted shrug. Annie took out a plate and some left over pasta with shrimp. She heated them in the microwave and placed them in front of John.

"So, question. Why'd you turn to the dark side?" Annie asked.

"They have cookies," Pyro replied.

"The cookies are probably burnt, you fire freak!"

"Does being annoying come something you practice or does it just come naturally?"

"It comes naturally, but I practice to make sure it doesn't fade. Are you always so defensive?"

"Only to people I don't like, you know like you."

"Why don't you like me?"

John shrugged.

"I know why. It's because I freeze things."

"That's the main reason."

Annie stared at him for a while studying the miniscule movements he made as he tried to get comfortable in the chair, and how he glared at her. Finally she spoke.

"You know, I have always thought that fire is the most destructive element, yet it is by far the most vulnerable."

"I'm not weak." John interrupted.

"I'm not saying your weak. I'm saying that fire is an easier element to overcome. It can be blown out by wind, smothered by earth, and drowned by water. When--"

"Is there a point to this speech?"

"Interrupt me again and I'll freeze your mouth closed. As I was saying, when the fire is given a form such as a human body, it has to work extra hard to put up the front. You have to work extremely hard to show that you're not weak and that you're not vulnerable, but you don't need people to fear you to get that message across, because if people fear you, they automatically shut you out and you shut them out, therefore they have no chance of realizing that you have a better purpose on this earth than just destroying things."

"What is the point to this?"

"My point _is_ that you need to open up to people to show that you are strong, and you especially need to open up to Evan because she has worked her ass off trying to prove to you that she is not your enemy. Also, you need to realize that I'm not your enemy either. If I was I would have turned you over to the cops already."

John didn't say anything, but only played with the food in front of him. He basically wanted everything she had said to go through one ear and out the other, but for some reason it stuck. He set down his fork. Annie's words may have stuck with him, but he wasn't going to let her know that.

"Whatever. Thanks for the psychoanalysis, Dr. Annie," he said as he got up. He climbed the stairs and walked into the guest room. He looked around the room as he pulled out clean clothes. The room was a pale green with an ivy border on the wall. There was a queen sized bed with a bedside table on either side. The bed sat directly across the window, so when you sat up, you had a perfect view of woods in the backyard.

Just as John turned to walk out of the room, Evan walked in. Her hair was still dripping wet leaving dark stains on her oversized maroon shirt.

"The bed is mine. You can have the floor or ask Annie if you can have the couch," she said as she tucked her dirty clothes back into her bag. John ignored her and went to take a shower.

When he returned to the room, Evan was asleep. He pulled off a pillow and one of the blankets that Evan had not managed hog. He laid the pillow and the blanket on the floor, but instead of going to sleep, he leaned against the wall and looked at Evan.

Her long, wet hair was splayed around her head like a dark brown, spiky halo. Light freckles that could only be seen up close speckled her cheeks and became darker as they reached her eyes. Long-lashed eyelids covered eyes the color of dark chocolate, while cupid-bow lips turned slightly upwards at the corners in a serene smile.

John raked his eyes over her body. He hips were perfectly curved and her long legs (Which stuck out from beneath the sheets) were sculpted beautifully. Her arms were covered by her long sleeved t-shirt but he knew her arms were muscular, yet still slim yet graceful.

_God, she is beautiful, _John thought. _Who would think that a person who can be so cold and bitchy during the day and can look almost angelic at night?_

John let his thoughts wonder, but immediately was brought down to earth when he realized what he was thinking.

_What the fucking hell?! _His mind was screaming, _Am I crazy? When did I start thinking about her like that? Maybe I was hit harder than I thought._

With his mind still spinning John laid down and fell into a restless sleep.

x chap 6


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Evan woke early to see the sun appearing just above the trees, spill orange light onto the bed and the floor around it. She looked over the side of the bed to see John lying on the floor, snoring softly, curled almost into a fetal position.

_Damn. Where is a camera when you need it? _She thought.

Evan climbed out of bed and tiptoed lightly across the floor and out the door. She was greeted at the foot of the stairs by the smell of pancakes and scrambled eggs. When she walked into the kitchen, she saw Annie working over the stove, softly singing a country song. Annie turned around and set a plate of food on the counter, looking up at Evan.

"Your timing is impeccable," she commented.

"Yeah, for once," Evan replied. "I'm not usually up this early."

"Well there's a first time for everything. Here, eat your food."

Evan took the plate and sat at the table, Annie sat next to her. They ate in silence for a while, but it was broken by the one question that was weighing Evan down.

"How are you going to explain why you rescued John to the guys at the mansion?" Annie asked.

"I have no idea, but it'll come to me. I don't think it'll matter anyway. Most likely, they won't accept my explanation and they'll shun me and Pyro for the rest of our abnormal, freaky-ass lives."

"I doubt that. If they're your friends they'll understand your motives."

"Maybe."

They didn't speak anymore, continuing to eat their breakfast. Suddenly they were startled by a yell coming from upstairs.

**xXx**

_Fire burned all around him. He could feel the heat of the flames as they licked his bare arms. John looked past the flames trying to see, but it was black. The flames came closer and when John tried to ward them off, they grew. He stuck his hand out, trying to make the flames die down, but they rose higher. Then he saw people, bunches of people all around him, just staring. Some looked familiar, others didn't. He focused on the faces he knew._

"_Help!" he tried to say, but the words were drowned out by the roar of the fire. Two people stepped forward. John didn't know who they were at first, but with closer inspection, he realized they were his parents. His father smiled and his mother waved. John tried to move towards them but he couldn't. Suddenly a great wave of fire surrounded his parents and they disappeared. He watched in horror as every other person around him did the same. _

_Finally there were only three people left. Bobby and Rogue stepped forward. Bobby and Rogue both smiled and waved, just like his parents and then they, too, were covered with fire. John turned to the last person. Evan stood before him. Her eyes shone brightly and she stepped forward. John once again tried to move and this time he succeeded. One slow step after another, he moved closer to Evan. Finally he was only inches away. He leaned in, his face moving closer to hers, but she stopped him. Evan stood on her tiptoes and gave John a kiss on the cheek and looked deep into his eyes before she uttered one word._

"_Goodbye."_

"NO!" John bolted up right and scooted backwards. In his panic, he sparked his igniter and set fire to a small piece of carpet. His back hit the wall and he stared at the fire in surprise. Suddenly, Annie and Evan burst through the door. Annie was quick and immediately put out the fire.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" she yelled, "Are you trying to destroy my house?!"

"Annie, stop," Evan said calmly as she stepped toward John. "John... Are you okay?"

Pyro stared at her. It was quick, but Evan still saw the look of fear and relief on his face before it was gone and Pyro was back to normal.

"Whatever," he said as he stood and went downstairs. Evan and Annie still stood in the room until they heard the slamming of the backdoor.

"What was that?" Annie asked.

"If I knew I would tell you," Evan replied, her voice distant. She went downstairs and looked out the back window to see Pyro pacing on the back porch.

"I think we should leave him alone for a while. Let him blow off some steam," Evan said as she turned towards Annie.

"Fine. So long as he doesn't burn my house down. I worked hard to get the money for this house."

"I don't think he meant to set the carpet on fire, so cut him some slack. Besides it didn't do that much damage."

"True, but still, I don't like fire."

"Then why the hell are you hanging out with me?"

"You're not fire, you're melted metal. Big difference."

"Whatever."

The playful banter came to an end as Evan went upstairs to pack up her stuff. When she came downstairs she headed straight for the back porch. Pyro had ceased pacing and was now content with burning dry leaves and pine needles one by one.

"Are you okay now?" Evan asked quietly.

"Yeah," he replied.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Didn't seem like nothing to me. You wanna talk about it?"

"No." His reply was cold and harsh, but Evan didn't back off. Instead she got pissed.

"Oh, right. St. John Allerdyce doesn't talk. He bottles up his emotions until he can't take it anymore and then he joins the bad guys after he roasts some cops."

"What do you know about it? You weren't there."

"No I wasn't there, but Bobby was and he told me about it. He also told me that you left the jet to find the others to try and help."

"He was talking about the wrong person."

"Yeah, you're right. _That_ John went to go help his friends and save the kids. _That_ John was a pain in the ass but was still a fairly good guy. What happened to _that_ John? When you figure it out tell me, because I really want to know. Until then get your ass in gear, pack up your stuff and then get in the damn car."

With that Evan turned around and went back inside leaving John alone with his thoughts.

x chapter 7


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The two were on the road again. John stared out the window while Evan drove down the highway. There was no sound other than the occasional car passing. Twice John tried to speak, but lost his nerve when Evan didn't notice. Finally he tried for a third time and succeeded.

"I'm…sorry," he said.

Evan looked over at him. "For what? You didn't do anything."

"I'm sorry…for being…an ass"

"John, you will always be an ass. It's in your nature."

"Look, I'm trying to do something nice, so just accept the damn apology and let's go back to silence."

"Fine apology accepted, but you're the one who made noise."

John rolled his eyes and went back to looking out the window, when Evan decided to make more noise.

"How did you find out you were a mutant?" she asked. John visibly stiffened, but said nothing. When Evan realized that John would not say anything, she turned her attention back to the road, but not before turning on the radio to a rock station in order to break the tense silence.

John relaxed as Evan became distracted by the music. He continued to look out the window, but he was no longer paying attention to the scenery. Instead he was listening to the small voice in his head that sounded a lot like Annie.

_You need to open up to people to show that you are strong, and you especially need to open up to Evan because she has worked her ass off trying to prove to you that she is not your enemy, _the voice kept saying.

John rolled his eyes. _Damn you Annie!_ he thought. He turned to look at Evan. She was bobbing her head slightly and singing along to the music.

"It was Christmas Eve," John said, quietly.

"What?" Evan asked. John reached over and turned off the radio, ignoring Evan's complaints.

"Look, I'm going to tell you this so shut up, or I don't think I'll finish. Okay?"

Evan, surprised, only nodded.

"It was Christmas Eve. I was twelve and still living in Australia then. My dad and I had gotten into this big argument about going to the midnight service at church. I didn't want to go, but he and my mom did. I was pissed and all I did was clench my fist when the fire leapt out of the fireplace and onto the couch. My dad tried to put it out but it just got bigger so he called the fire department. I was mad and scared so I couldn't control it after I started it. It kept getting bigger and bigger, and by the time it was put out all that was left of the house was a charred frame. We were taken to a weird little shelter. Mom and Dad weren't exactly sure what happened, but I knew they were suspicious. That was the night I realized I wasn't normal.

"We went to live with my aunt and uncle in Sydney. We had been staying there for about six months when my cousin saw me messing with my dad's lighter. He told my parents. They didn't know what to do with me so they acted like they didn't know and pretended to take me to a movie. They dropped me at the theatre, went to go park, but instead drove off and left me. I hung around downtown Sydney for a while and managed to get a job at a rundown record store. I collected enough money for a passport and a one way ticket to New York. Once I got to New York, I explored for about a week before the professor and Storm found me and took me in. You know what happened after that."

Evan was silent. She had no idea what to say or how to react. She was angry, and amazed, but wasn't sure which emotion to express. John, fortunately, saved her from having to answer.

"What about you?" he asked.

"What about me?" Evan replied.

"How did you find out you were a mutant?"

Evan bit her lip as she was bombarded by memories. She didn't say anything and that annoyed John.

"Oh come on!" he said, "You can not expect me to just tell you what happened to me and then not expect something in return."

"Yeah, you're right. Fine. Don't interrupt okay?"

"Fine."

"I was a freshman at one of the local high schools in Seattle. Ayden--the girl we stayed with that first time—had been caught smoking on school grounds. The principal was a total dick, so, as punishment, she wasn't allowed to go to prom. The prom was going to be in the gym, so the night before the dance, Ayden, a few of her friends and I all went to vandalize the gym. We spray painted everything, took down all the decorations and burned them, scratched the CD mix, and other stuff that I can't remember. Anyway, when we snuck in, we set off the alarm. Ayden and the others got away, but I got caught. I spent the night in jail, and the next day, I was escorted by the cops and my parents to the principal's office where I was officially expelled. My parents were so pissed that they went home without me and I had to go home with the cops.

"One cop took me to my locker where I was to clean out my stuff. I was pissed and when I opened the door to my locker, the whole row of lockers glowed red hot and melted. The metal slashed over the cop, my clothes and my best friend Peter. Peter had third degree burns on his left hand and second degree burns on he legs. Everyone was just staring so I ran. I got home, snuck through my window, and packed my backpack to leave. My parents still don't know where I am."

"I hitch-hiked to New York where I met Annie, and then I found out about the mansion and went there," she finished.

John listened and was about say something when red and blue lights were flashing n the rearview mirror.

"Shit!" Evan yelled. "Where is that hat that Ayden gave me?"

"It's…in my bag." John said.

"Fuck! Okay, do not burn the cop. I know you like to so that kind of thing, but do not show him that you're Pyro, or any mutant for that matter. We'll be lucky of he doesn't recognize you."

The cop approached and leaned down to look in the car.

"Ma'am, do know how fast you were going?" he asked.

"No, sir, I don't," Evan said. She looked at his name plate. It read: Officer Parker.

"You were going eighty miles an hour, in a sixty-five lane."

"Shit!" the word was said quietly, so Officer Parker didn't hear it. The officer leaned down some more to see further inside the car. That's when he saw John. He drew his gun and pointed it at Evan.

"Keep your hands where I can see them!" he yelled.

"So much for 'we'll be lucky if he doesn't recognize you'," John said sarcastically. Evan hit him.

"OW!"

The officer spoke into his radio. "This is Officer Parker. I'm on highway 70; about 50 miles away from Boonville. I've found the mutant terrorist known as Pyro with an unidentified female, also believed to be a mutant. Back-up _is _required."

Meanwhile in the car, John was speaking quietly to Evan.

"What are we going to do?" he asked.

"I don't know! This wouldn't be happening if you hadn't blown up that damn cure building," she said, her voice rising slightly.

"Oh this is _my _fault?! You're the one who was speeding!"

"Oh shut up!"

Evan looked at the gun being pointed at her and John. Quickly summoning her powers she melted the gun's barrel so it wouldn't fire, then sped off.

Officer Parker ran back to his cruiser, but found that not only had Evan melted his gun, but she also melted the wheels of his car as well.

"Officer needs assistance! The unknown female mutant melted my car!" Officer Parker yelled into his radio, "They are in a black Nissan Murano heading east."

In the car, John was looking back at the cruiser as it faded from sight. Evan, on the other hand, was flooring it. Her hands gripped the wheel with such ferocity that her knuckles were white and her finger tips were turning dark purple due to the lack of circulation.

"Evan, calm down! The guy isn't chasing us," John said. Evan loosened her grip on the wheel slightly and she slowed the car, but they were still going way over the speed limit. Suddenly, they heard sirens behind them. Evan looked in the rearview mirror and saw about seven police cruisers chasing her. She floored the gas pedal again as she looked forward. Unfortunately, when she looked through the windshield, she saw ten more cruisers in her path. Evan slammed both feet on the brake and swerved to the left, but there was too much momentum and the car flipped.

Once.

Twice.

The roll ended with the car on its hood like a beetle.

Evan saw the front windshield crack and nearly shatter when the car rolled once. On the second roll Evan hit her head on the side window and blacked out.

John's right shoulder popped loudly as the seatbelt locked. His whole arm felt numb, but the rest of his body could feel every bit of pain. He felt a warm liquid running down the side of his face, and didn't need to see it to know it was blood. He looked over at Evan to find her slumped against the steering wheel with the seatbelt cutting into her neck. He gently pushed her back into the seat and shook her slightly.

"Evan, wake up! Come on this is no time to fall asleep!" he said desperately. It seemed to have gotten through to her because she opened her eyes and groaned. She looked outside to see about a dozen cops surrounding the vehicle with their guns pointed at the car.

John tried to spark his igniter but the crash had caused it to break. He took it off and watched as it broke into three pieces. It was then that they both spoke at the same time.

"We are so fucked."

x chapter 8


	9. Chapter 9

**Hiya, sorry for the horribly long space between updates. My editor, (a.k.a my sister) took forever to read my story. Hope you enjoy please review **

Chapter 9

Evan found herself in one of the small interrogation rooms of the Missouri branch of the FBI. There was a camera planted in the upper corner watching her as she sat at a metal table her hands cuffed to the back of her chair. An agent sat on the other side of the table.

"What's your name?" he asked.

Nothing.

"What's your power?"

Silence.

"Why were you with the terrorist?"

"If one person human kills people, does that make him a terrorist?" Evan asked. "No, but if a mutant kills some people, he is a terrorist. Something just doesn't seem right there." Her voice was calm and she casually tipped her chair onto the back legs.

"He made an attack on the government."

"No," she contradicted, "he attacked a product that was created by a pharmaceutical company. You decided to make him attack the government by involving soldiers with the cure. Stupid move, dick-head."

The agent growled, getting more and more frustrated. "Let's go back to the simple questions. What is your name?"

"Where's Pyro?"

"What is your name?" He said it a bit more forceful this time.

"Where is Pyro?"

"Answer the damn question!"

"You first."

The agent growled and moved on to the next question.

"What is your power?"

Evan sighed in mock defeat and looked around the room as if to make sure no one could hear her.

"You want to know?"

"Yeah?" He leaned forward expectantly, happy to finally be getting some answers.

"You sure?"

"Yes damn it!"

Evan looked up at the camera and melted it, while the handcuffs slid onto the floor in a melted heap, and the lock on the door melded with the door jamb. The agent was shocked for a moment then quickly recovered. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at Evan but it, too, was melted with a wave of her hand.

"What is your name, Agent?" she asked in the same tone as he had asked her.

"Kiss my ass," he spat back.

"That's a pretty cool name, Agent Kiss My Ass."

While Evan talked she made the metal of the handcuffs float in mid-air. The metal took on odd shapes before taking on the shape of a knife.

The agent backed into a wall as Evan approached with the blade in hand.

"Now," she said, her voice low and dangerous, "Agent Ass, I can go from annoyingly stubborn to incredibly bitchy if I don't get an answer. Where is Pyro?" The agent said nothing, but simply glared at Evan while she glared right back at him. She raised the knife. It floated out of her hand and moved toward the agent's heart.

Suddenly the alarm sounded outside the room.

"Agent Ass, you might want to be giving me an answer," Evan said, calmly, "because I can take this knife, make a small puncture in your skin, and then melt all the metal into the wound. It would hurt like a bitch and you would scream as it burned through your bloodstream and tore apart the muscles. Your body would burn from the inside out and your buddies won't get in here in time to save you." She suddenly smiled sweetly. "So tell me: where is Pyro?"

The agent was almost cowering against the wall.

"Last I heard he was being taken to the interrogation room on the third floor. Please…don't kill me," he said.

"Man, you guys are too gullible," Evan said with a scoff. "You forget, I'm not evil." Then she whipped her fist around and knocked him out.

Evan returned the lock to its original shape and opened the door a crack. There was nobody there. Evan was amazed but then a thought hit her.

_They don't know it was me. They're all going after John!_

Evan took off at a run towards the third floor.

**xXx**

John sat in another room that was much smaller. He had a bloody nose and was breathing heavily. One of two agents walked behind John and grabbed his dislocated shoulder. John clenched his teeth and scrunched up his eyes in the attempt not to cry out. This had been going on for about an hour. They would grab his shoulder in a tight grip while punching him every now and then. The two agents never spoke except to each other.

One of the agents was about to punch him when the alarm sounded. Both agents drew their weapons as a local police officer who assisted in Evan and Pyro's arrests burst into the room.

"What's he do?" the officer asked.

"I don't know, he won't talk," said Agent One. Agent Two reached his hand over to the officer.

"Give me your tazer," he said and the officer complied. Agent Two approached John and knocked the chair over, putting incredible strain on John's shoulder. Once Pyro was down, the agent shot him with the tazer. The pain was excruciating and John writhed on the ground and uttered a sound that was a combination of a growl and a scream. The agents laughed loudly before leaving to find what set off the alarm. The officer hesitated.

"Wait, couldn't he be a threat to everyone in the building?" he asked.

Agent Two shrugged and pulled the trigger on the tazer again. John screamed once more but it was cut short when his eyes rolled back into his head as he passed out.

"Not anymore," Agent One said as he walked out the door with the officer following.

**xXx**

Evan reached the third floor and burst through the doors that led from the stairs. She looked around to see a hallway lined with interrogation rooms. Only one door was open. Evan rushed to the room and looked in to find John on the floor, unconscious and handcuffed to a chair. She ran to his side, melted the cuffs, and attempted to shake him awake.

"John, wake up," she said depsperately. There was no response. Evan grabbed at his shoulders to shake him slightly. When she grabbed his right shoulder, John opened his eyes and gasped in pain.

"Are you okay?" Evan asked him. John nodded once before rolling onto his hands and knees and slowly pushing himself into a shaky standing position. Evan grabbed his hand and led him out the door to the stairs.

They took the stairs at a slow but steady pace and managed to reach the ground floor. However, once they opened the door to the lobby, they were met with the whole FBI force as well as a few police officers. The cops thought John and Evan were stuck with no place to go, but they forgot what Evan was able to do. She raised her hand to melt the guns but before she could, they were ripped from the officers' hands and floated in mid-air. A figure stepped into view from across the lobby.

"No way!" Evan said silently, "I thought he was cured!"

"So it would seem. But once again, my dear, you X-men overestimate the intelligence of humans," the mutant said. John seemed to focus on the voice. It was the one voice he never thought he would hear again.

"Hello, Pyro," said the mutant.

John nodded in acknowledgment.

"Magneto."

x chap 9


	10. Chapter 10

**HI! Really sorry for the long wait. My spark was goooooooone!!!! I finally got it back last week. Thanks for those who reviewed. Enjoy!**

Chapter 10

"How the hell did the cure not affect you?!" Evan demanded.

"It did, but only slightly. I am a higher level mutant with more experience and control over my power. Therefore the cure has little effect on me." Magneto said calmly, "Now, I do believe that it is proper manners to make introductions. I am Magneto, as I'm sure you know, and you, my dear, are…"

"Evan."

"What's your real name, Evan?"

John rolled his eyes. _How cliché, _he thought.

"It's just Evan."

"What, may I ask, is your power?" Magneto asked.  
"I can melt and shape metal."

"Interesting. Well, I must be going. Come Pyro, we have work to do."

Pyro hesitated.

"No," he said, "I'm staying with Evan."

Evan looked at Pyro in shock.

"What the hell?!" She exclaimed, "I thought you wanted to go with him."

"You changed my mind," John replied with a weak smirk, which Evan returned.

"Well then," Magneto's voice snapped both of them back to the current situation. "If you two are not going to help me, then you are only hindrances, and every hindrance must be removed."

Magneto raised his hands and every metal object in the lobby floated in the air for a second before they were hurled at Evan and Pyro. Evan pushed Pyro out of the way and raised her to melt all the objects in to a red hot ball of molten metal. The ball was about eight feet in diameter and levitated a few feet off the ground. Evan tried to compact the metal even further, but it wouldn't move. Trying to find another solution, she tried to solidify it, but the metal remained liquefied. Evan's eyes widened.

"I can't melt it," she murmured. Pyro heard her as he stood up.

"What?! Why not?!" he whispered fiercely.

"It's too big. I can't melt this much metal at one time, and if I do melt it, Magneto will just use it to destroy the building or something."

"It's very wise to keep it in a liquid state so I can't use it, but it's also very foolish," Magneto called. He had overheard the last part of the conversation. He raised his hands again, this time to draw object from outside. Lampposts, parking meters, even some car parts flew through the windows, shattering them. The object all headed straight to the molten ball, melting on contact. The ball expanded at least two feet.

"Well, I must be going now. Farewell, Pyro," Magneto turned on his heel and stalked out the door. Evan watched as people backed away, afraid to be near him. As soon as he was out of sight, police closed in around John and Evan.

"John, get out of here," Evan hissed.

"Have you gone insane? I leave and these guys will kill you!" Pyro said.

"Go get help!"

Pyro paused for a minute before figuring out what help meant.

"They won't listen to me. They'll think it's a trap."

"I don't care. John…I can't control this much longer."

John looked at the ball. It was beginning to loose its shape. Suddenly the walls and ceiling caved slightly.

"What's happening?" John asked in a panicked voice.

"If I don't find someway to solidify this, the metal in the walls will melt. John you have to go!"

"No!"

The wall caved a bit more. John looked at Evan. A single tear trailed down her flawless cheek. John realized what she wanted to do.

"No! I won't let you!" he screamed.

"It's my choice and the only way to save anyone."

"You can't save anyone if you're dead. There has to be something else you can do."

Evan sighed

"There's a payphone outside. Get to it and call Storm. I'll try and hold on a little longer." She said. John made for the door, but something made him stop. He turned around and went back to Evan. He clutched her face in both of his hands and kissed her. It was a deep, passionate kiss that made Evan think that the heavens would fall to earth if it ever stopped. It was all Evan could do to keep control of the metal. When Pyro broke the kiss, he gave her a weak smile before heading to the door. Once again, Evan watched the crowd part, but this time it was because Pyro had formed a wall of flame between himself and the police and civilians.

John reached the phone, but just as he picked it up, a police man stepped toward the building and fired a single dart filled with the cure. John watched it as it hit Evan just below the knee.

"Oh, you bastard!" Evan said as she looked down. Without a second thought, she turned around and dropped into a ball as the liquid metal ball broke its form entirely.

x chap 10


	11. Chapter 11

Hiya

**Hiya! Very sorry about the ridiculously long wait. I just never got around to updating this. Many apologies, but please review!**

Chapter 11

"NO!" John shouted.

He ran forward and shot a ball of flame at the cop. He heard the cop scream in pain, but John paid him no mind. His only thought were of Evan. He ran into the building towards the back of the lobby. The melted metal oozed over the floor. John ran around it to reach Evan's body. She was horribly burned; her hair was gone, her clothes shreds, and her skin was a wrinkled red color with blisters and black ash covering parts of her body. He kneeled next to her and cradled her upper body in his arms while frantically searching for a pulse or other signs of life.

"Come on, Evan. Give me somethin'" John mumbled. He moved two fingers around on her neck, searching for her pulse. Suddenly, he felt small movement. A pulse. It was weak, but it was there. John breathed a sigh of relief and his eyes began to sting with forming tears. He lifted Evan off the ground gently, although a bit awkwardly with his dislocated shoulder and carried her outside.

"Where's the hospital?!" John yelled at the crowd. No one answered. A feeling of hopelessness settled over John.

"…Please…"

A girl no older than twelve stepped forward and pointed down the street that was behind John.

"It's about two blocks that way," she said. John nodded his head and set off towards the hospital.

John stepped into the unbearably white waiting room.

"Help!" he called. Doctors rushed forward.

"What happened?"

"She got burned. What's it look like?" Pyro snapped.

The doctors took Evan from John's arms and into the E.R.

"We'll give you news as soon as possible." The main doctor said, before he rushed into the ER.

John sighed. A nurse approached him.

"You need somebody to look at your shoulder," she said. John looked at his right shoulder and just then realized that it was dislocated and it hurt. He let himself be led to one of the hospital rooms. He didn't even acknowledge the nurse as she stuck a syringe filled with numbing medicine into his arm.

"You're going to feel a slight pain in your shoulder, but it shouldn't hurt too badly," the nurse said. Another nurse held his shoulders so he wouldn't move and cause more damage.

John felt the pop rather than heard it. He cried out in pain and jerked, but the nurses held him down. A gray haze crept into his vision and he shook his head to clear the dizziness and nausea. What would it have felt like if he hadn't been numbed up? He hated to know.

"Slight pain?!" he asked incredulously, "What do you call real pain?! You need better morphine."

The nurse smiled a bit as she gently took him arm and put it in a sling.

"Take these if your arm starts to ache again," The nurse said as she handed him some pain killers, and walked away. John sat there for a little while before making his way out to the lobby. He sat in the chair closest to the door. This door was conveniently located next to a payphone. John stared at it for what felt like forever. Finally, he picked up the receiver and dialed a number he didn't think he would ever dial again.

**xXx**

Storm sat at her desk in her office. It was nearing 4 o' clock in the afternoon, when she received a phone call.

"Ororo Munroe speaking," she said in an official tone.

"_Evan Krause is in a hospital in Missouri. She's badly burned and I suggest you get here as soon as possible,"_ a familiar voice said on the other end before he hung up.

Storm stared at the phone for a minute, before she realized what the voice had said. Evan was alive? _ It can't be, _she thought. Quickly, she stood and ran to Logan's room and pounded on the door.

"Somebody better be fuckin' dyin'," A voice muttered on the other side of the door. Logan a.k.a: Wolverine opened the door a crack and glared at Storm. She had, apparently, woken him up from a nap.

"Whaddaya you want?" He growled.

"I know where Evan is." Storm said breathlessly.

"What? How?"

"Someone just called and said she was in Missouri."

"Well, let's get the others and let's go!"

Logan opened the door wider, grabbed his jacket and stalked out in to the hallway. The two of them went to the lounge room. Rogue and Bobby were cuddled up together on the couch; Kitty was reading a book, and Peter a.k.a: Colossus was sitting on the floor with another mutant by the name of Brett playing Halo. Brett was a new addition to the X-Men, and he was also Kitty's boyfriend.

Upon hearing their entrance, all six mutants turned to look at Storm and Logan.

"What's up?" Bobby asked.

"We have news about Evan," Storm said.

Kitty gasped and dropped her book. Bobby and Rogue just stared. Colossus found a way to blow himself up in the game, and Brett just asked:

"Who's Evan?"

"She was with us at Alcatraz," Bobby said.

"Let's go." Kitty stood and phased through the floor.

The rest of the group followed Kitty, but they took the elevator. Storm filled Brett in about Evan as they walked to the X-Jet. Soon they were all in the jet and off to Missouri.

**xXx**

John was slumped over in his chair, asleep, when he was roughly shaken awake. He looked up to see six familiar faces all glaring at him. He visibly cringed.

"Where is she?" Wolverine snarled.

"I haven't gotten any news yet," John replied.

At that moment, a doctor approached the group.

"Are you all here for…uh…Evangeline Krause?" the doctor asked as he looked down at the medical form which John had filled out as best as he could.

"Yeah. Is she okay?" Storm asked.

"She has burns of 85 percent of her body. We have her on antibiotics to prevent infection. The shock of the burns has caused her to go into a coma though and I'm sorry to say that she has very little chance of surviving."

It was Kitty who spoke next.

"Can we see her?" tears were streaming down her face.

"Yes, but her appearance might come as a shock to you."

The group nodded and followed the doctor to Evan room. They all gasped when they saw her, and Logan closed his eyes and looked away. Evan had bandages covering most of her body, and what wasn't bandaged revealed gruesome burns.

"What happened?" Colossus demanded.

"The young man who came in with her wouldn't tell, but I think he knows."

At that point, Peter walked out the room and into the lobby. John saw Peter approach, but didn't stop him as Colossus lifted him from the chair and punched him in the face. John went down with a huge thump. He looked up at Colossus's hand and saw that he had turned it to its impenetrable steel form.

"What did you do?" Peter yelled. The rest of the group had followed him into the lobby, but made no move to stop him.

"I didn't do anything," John managed to sputter through the blood dripping from his nose. "It was Magneto."

"Magneto can't burn someone like that, and he was cured," Kitty yelled.

"It's not permanent." John stated. Rogue gaped.

"What?" she whispered.

"It's not permanent."

Rogue immediately wriggled out of Bobby's embrace and ran from the lobby.

"How did Magneto do that to her?" Kitty asked, "All he could do was manipulate metal, not burn anybody."

John managed to stem the bleeding and quickly went through the whole story, not leaving anything out except the kiss. When he finished the story, the silence that followed was deafening.

"Where is she?!" A voice shouted. John turned toward the automatic doors of the emergency room. Annie walked in looking around frantically. When she spotted John she ran over to him.

"What did you do?" she hissed.

"I didn't hurt her. I wouldn't do that."

"What happened?!"

"She got hit with the cure while using her power. The doctors say…she won't…she won't survive. I'm sorry."

Annie visibly deflated as she sank into a chair.

"She was my best friend..."

Peter came over and sat beside Annie and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"She _is_ a best friend to all of us."

"Wait, has anyone seen Brett?" Kitty interrupted the quiet moment.

There was a sudden clatter from Evan's room. John shot from his chair and ran to her room. He gasped at what he saw. Brett sat in a chair beside Evan's bed and Evan, though still bandaged was completely healed. There were no burns anywhere on her body.

"I did it," Brett said as he breathed heavily and he smiled.

x chap 11


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